St Catharine's College Cambridge

Friendships forged at Catz can last for decades as exemplified by eight alumni who still sing together decades after first joining our Choir in the late 1970s. Led by Tim Venvell (1977, Music) the Ex Collegio choir first embarked on a cathedral tour in 1981 and has since brought together Catz alumni, friends and family to perform regularly across the UK and, more recently, Europe.

Support Ex Collegio at upcoming performances in Durham, High Wycombe and Oxford. Ex Collegio will perform Evensong at 5.30pm from Monday 17 August to Saturday 22 August (excluding Thursday) at Durham Cathedral and during the Sunday Services on Sunday 23 August (10am, 11.30am and 3.30pm). They will also celebrate their 45th anniversary with performances at 7.30pm on Saturday 5 September (All Saints Church, High Wycombe) and 4pm on Sunday 6 September (Keble College, Oxford). Visit excollegiochoir.org for more details.

If you can’t catch them this year, they will be in Vienna in June 2027 and then at Wells Cathedral in August 2027.

Catz alumni are also very welcome to join the choir. Please contact [email protected] for further information.

Pictured is the full Ex Collegio choir, including eight founding members from Catz: David Benger (1977, Music), Gary Freer (1980, Law), Robert Gullifer (1977, English), Nigel Orchard (1978, Engineering) , Peter Smith (1976, Music), John Trundle (1976, Economics), Tim Venvell and Richard Wenninger (1979, Engineering).

Congratulations to theologian and Catz Fellow Prof. Katharine Dell (1996) on her election as an Ordinary Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society as well as the presentation of a Festschrift – a collection of academic writing in her honour – at the Society for Old Testament Study Summer Meeting in Nottingham.

She told us, “It is such an honour to have been singled out by my colleagues and friends – and with a Festschrift on a topic that is so very close to my heart. It was particularly meaningful for me that the reception was held in Nottingham as I went to school there!”

Read our news story about these honours and accolades at caths.cam.ac.uk/honours-for-theologian

First photo by Elodie Giuge.

Rowing has continued over the summer, with plenty for the Catz community to celebrate!
💛 Abdul Goni and Anna Russell (both Executive MBA students at Catz) rowed in the inaugural races between Cambridge Judge Business School and Oxford's Saïd Business School, with each side coming away with a win on Sunday 26 July.
🩵 Matt Edge (2018, Natural Sciences; now a Chemistry PhD student) bowed out after seven years of rowing for Cambridge with a final win in the Temple Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta on 4 July (photo by Ben Tufnell).

"If I had to do it all over again and choose a college from scratch, I would definitely pick Catz without hesitation" – meet Yizhou Chi, who is studying a PhD in Computer Science & Technology at Catz thanks to support from the Harding Distinguished Postgraduate Scholars Programme. Originally from Shenzhen in China, Yizhou completed both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Computer Science at UC Berkeley in the USA and then spent a year in industry working on research and development for artificial intelligence (AI) agents. Find out more about Yizhou's journey to Catz and experience so far at caths.cam.ac.uk/yizhou

Earlier this summer, Catz alumni enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour at London's Wellington Barracks, home to the foot guards seen on duty at Buckingham Palace. The tour was made possible thanks to Richard Moat (1973, Law), current President of the St Catharine's College Alumni Society. As part of his President's Trip on 15 June, alumni had guided tours of the Guards' Chapel and Guards' Museum, and saw the King's Guards prepare for the Changing of the Guard. The event was a fantastic opportunity to gain insight into the Changing of the Guard ceremony and the regiments involved, and brought together different alumni generations to engage and connect outside the College.

Catz alumni are automatically a member of the Society and warmly welcomed to attend its many events. The President's Trip is an excellent example of the unique events and activities offered by the Society and its regional branches (in the UK and Ireland) to alumni. The next Society event is the Annual Reunion Day and Dinner on Saturday 25 September, here in College, which you can find out more about at caths.cam.ac.uk/alumni-society-reunion

You can also see more alumni events at stcatharinesalumni.co.uk/events

Congratulations to alumna Prof. Seema Alavi FBA (1987, History) on being elected to the Fellowship of the British Academy. A leading historian of early modern and modern South Asia, she is one of 32 International Fellows announced in July.

She told us, “My time at St Catharine’s is particularly memorable: my academic interests were shaped in Chris Bayly’s office, and I made some lifelong friends thanks to the MCR’s activities and meals in Hall.”

Read our news story in full at caths.cam.ac.uk/FBA-2026

Everybody needs good NEIGHbours 🐴 It was all hands and hooves on deck this week to mow the King's College wildflower meadow. Working alongside shire horses Cosmo and Bryn, the Catz gardening team pitched in to help out their counterparts next door at King's. The hay is distributed each year across the city to make more wildflower meadows (including at Catz!) and sent to local farmers as winter feed for livestock.